Spring retainer clip and assembly thereof



June 12, 1962 E. P. ANSTETT 3,038,596 SPRING RETAINER CLIP AND vAsfsEn/IBLI THEREOF 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 25, 1958 f im: N WT |111 F151 J0 OfZ/f /Z/f- 6 i0 9 55 40 June 12, 1962 l SE. P. ANSTETT SPRING RETAINER CLIP AND ASSEMBLY THEREOF 2 sheets -Shee'b 2 Filed Sept. 25, 1958 United States 3,038,596 SPRING RETAINER CLIP AND ASSEMBLY THEREOF Edgar P. Anstett, 1309 Ritchie Court, Chicago, Ill. Filed Sept. 25, 1958, Ser. No. 763,353 1 Claim. (Cl. 2416-56) This invention relates to a clip intended to retain springs used in furniture and to an assembly of such clips.

The manufacture of chairs and other furniture items involving a frame and a spring supported part are increasingly using metal 4clips for the purpose of attaching the springs to a wooden frame. In the past, the clips have been individually positioned on the frame to receive the end wires of spring structure. The clips are attached to the frame and crimped upon the spring wire thus positioning the springs relative to the frame.

The Vpresent invention concerns a novel form of clip arranged in a novel assembly so that the clips may be readily fed to a machine for applying the same to a frame of a piece of furniture.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved spring retaining clip and assembly thereof.

Another object is to provide a novel magazine of clips rolled into a supply roll from which the clips may be accurately fed.

Another object is to provide a spring retaining clip having novel structure whereby clips may be accurately positioned in series in a supply roll.

A further object is to provide a new and improved clip and assembly thereof more economically to manufacture and use than clips heretofore known.

Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, in which:

FIGURE l is a fragmentary partially broken away and partially diagrammatic side elevational view of a mechanism for manufacturing the clips and forming the assembly thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a broken sectional view through the cleaning mechanism taken substantially along line 2-2 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the assembly of clips shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary enlarged view partly in section, taken substantially along line 4-4 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of one of the clips embodying the invention, and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional View taken substantially along line 6 6 in FIGURE 3.

The manner of attaching springs to a wooden frame in chairs, beds and similar type furniture has, in recent years, changed to include a sheet metal spring clip which is fastened to the frame and crimped around a wire of the spring. In a piece of furniture, there is ordinarily quite a few individual springs to be connected to the frame and in 'the case of a chair, ywhere a spring would extend between opposite side rails of a frame, a spring clip is needed at each end of the spring. Quite a number of clips are thus used with each piece of furniture and the present invention has to do with the clip itself and an assembly from which the clips may be automatically fed to machinery for attaching them to the furniture frame.

The clip itself may best be seen in FIGURE 5. It is formed of sheet metal into a generally U-shape having a base leg 10 and a top leg 11, which is shorter than the base leg. A rounded portion 12 joins the two legs, making the sheet metal member into a generally U-shape,

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open at one end and closed at the base end 12. A pair of apertures 13 formed in the base leg near the free end 14 are for the purpose of receiving fasteners such as nails to secure the clip to a wooden frame. The space within the rounded base portion 12 between the legs is intended to receive the wire of a spring. The upper or top leg 11 `will be crimped toward the base leg to hold the spring captive within the clip. A lining 15 of relatively heavy paper stock is adhered to the interior of the clip to prevent the metal of a spring from rattling or abrading against the metal of the spring clip resulting in a noiseless construction needing no lubrication.

The individual clips such as shown in FIGURE 5 are formedfrom a ribbon of sheet metal which is continuous as fed into a forming die of multiple stage character illustrated diagrammatically in FIGURE l as contained within the forming stage 16. A supporting table 17 feeds the stock 18 into the forming dies which stamp the parts of the clip and sever it from the continuous metal stock into individual clips emerging from the stamping unit 16. In the stamping operation, the base leg 10 remains as the total width of the sheet metal stock from which the cli-p is formed. The top leg 11, however, is cut on its opposite edges 19 and 20 so that it has a Width slightly less than that of the base leg. As shown in FIGURES 3 and 5, an abrupt change in width between the legs occurs to form shoulders 21 extending laterally of the leg. The material at the periphery of the base leg extending along the length toward the free end from the shoulder 21 is used as surfaces for retaining the clips in a feed channel. As shown in FIGURES 3 and 6, the feed channel has overlying portions 25 spaced apart a distance to allow passage of the top leg 11, but retains the base leg within the channel on a supporting rail 26.

The individual clips emerging from the forming dies are fed forwardly and held captive in the channel formed by the supporting rail 26 and the overlying portions 25 extending over the edges of the base leg. In order that the clips feed one against the other in a proper series relationship, an upstanding linger 30 is integrally formed at the end of 14 of the base leg. The linger is stamped lfrom the sheet metal of which the clip is formed. It has an upward extent to a suliicient distance that it may engage the rounded portion 12 of the adjacent clip above the center line of its curvature. Ordinarily this may be done if the finger has a length in excess of the radius of curvature of the rounded portion 12. The nger extends normal to the base leg so that its contact with the rounded portion of the adjacent clip is such that there will be no tendency for one clip to raise or fall relative to the other. The clips will thus be maintained in a series relationship, one following the other.

Referring to FIGURE l, there is shown a cleaning vat 31 having a cleaning wheel 32 which may contact the base of the clips in order to remove oil from the metal which must be present during the stamping in the forming stage 16. As soon as the clips leave the cleaning stage they are further supported on the table 26 until they come into Contact with a continuous flexible carrier 33 which is adhered to the cleaned surface of the clips. The carrier is preferably a flexible pressure sensitive coated tape fed from a rolled supply 34 over an idler 35 onto a large applying roll 36 which presses the tape against the outer surface of the base legs. The pressure sensitive coating on the tape vw'll adhere to the cleaned metal of the clips and retain the clips in the position they occupied at the time the tape was applied. At this time, the position of one clip relative to another depended upon the series positioning contact of the upstanding fingers against the rounded base portion of the adjacent clips. Once the tape is applied, the clips are fed around an idler 37 to a relatively large roll where the clips are rolled upon themselves to form a supply magazine. The roll 3S may have a cardboard type of facing 39 and 40 on either side of the rolled supply `of clips. Once formed, the supply may be fed to a machine which is to apply the clips to a furniture frame.

The particular advantage of applicants supply roll is that the clips are positioned in a series, one relative to another by the structure of the clips themselves. The adhesive tape is quite flexible and only retains clips together as they are placed in the supply. Once the clips are again placed in the straight condition they occupied when the tape was applied, the series positioning Contact of the fingers with adjacent clips is restored. Any such position feeding mechanism engaging any one of the shoulders 21 may forward the entire line of clips to an applying mechanism.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom as some modification will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

An assembly of spring retainer clips adapted to be fed in assembled relation for supplying the individual clips sequentially for use, comprising: an elongated carrier strip and an plurality of spring retainer clips arranged on the carrier strip in series, each clip being U-shaped with a base leg integrally joined to a top leg, said top leg and U-shaped connecting portion being reduced in Width providing laterally extending shoulders at the connection of the U-shaped member to the base, the width of the carrier strip being no greater than the width of the top leg, the base leg of each clip resting against and connected to the carrier strip, and an upstanding finger integral with and upstanding from the forward edge of each base leg for contact against the central portion of the U-shape of the precedingfclip in said series, said linger extending upwardly generally normal to the base leg in contact with and abutting the adjacent clip to advance the preceding clip without movement thereof laterally of the carrier strip, said shoulders facing rearwardly for receiving forward feeding movement of said clip and of said series of clips, said movement being transferred through said upstanding finger contact with preceding clips maintaining predetermined series relationship of the clips.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,620,189 Caneld Mar. 8, 1927 1,710,393 Williams Apr. 23, 1929 1,764,569 Knee June 7, 1930 1,827,354 Cooper Oct. 3l, 1931 2,027,343 Bombard Jan. 7, 1936 2,082,577 Herschmann June 1, 1937 2,244,136 Zercher June 3, 1941 2,417,497 Hulslander, Sr. Mar. 18, 1947 2,743,445 Lerner May 1, 1956 2,769,533 Booth Nov. 6, 1956 2,845,653 Nelson Aug. 5, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 763,312 Great Britain Dec. 12, 1956 

